Thursday, January 21, 2010

I'm so glad I can't do a decent Boston accent, otherwise this video recipe for Boston cream pie would have probably been really annoying because I would have done the entire voiceover in it.

This is my quick and easy version of Boston's Parker House Hotel's famous cake. Why is it called a pie? Your guess is as good as mine, but what I do know is that a real Boston cream pie is comprised of two layers of sponge cake, not a yellow cake from a boxed mix.So technically this is only two-thirds of a Boston cream pie, but trust me, it's the most important two-thirds. In the video, I joke about the cake in this recipe simply acting as a pastry cream and chocolate ganache delivery system. I wasn't joking.

A Boston cream pie is all about the cream and ganache. In fact, here's a tip in case you want to take that idea and run with it – instead of two cakes, just use one. Use a long, serrated knife to split the cake in two, and proceed with the recipe as shown.

By the way, in a testament to just how busy I am, I completely forgot to mention those hairless hands you'll see stirring, whisking, and pouring, belong to my wife – the lovely and talented Michele.

Hi again, Chef John. Could i use the cream in this recipe to fill mini eclers, and the ganache as icing? i have a good dough recipe, but i've been looking for a good filling, and an icing that doesn't have fondant in in. Thank you!

Hi Chef, I have struggled with making a good pastry cream, and am definitely going to try your recipe!Do you think it would affect the recipe if I substituted whole milk for the cream in order to lighten the recipe a bit?

Chef John, I love your site! I came across it a while ago (linked via lifehacker on the how to eat wings post) and have been following your blog ever since. The recipes are amazing and the videos are clear and easy to understand and follow.

I have a request though. I am on a diet and can't eat any of your recipes! (Or, barely any of them.) Can you please post some low calorie/diet recipes?

Help. I made the recipe exactly as directed (I didn't even sub cream for milk) and it really doesn't taste that great. The texture is ok, like pudding, but its pretty bland.. not something I'd eagerly dive into. Even boxed pudding mix would actually taste better.

Yes, I did add the salt. I did the recipe exactly as written. I was hoping to use the filling recipe with some farmers market fresh berries for a little dessert (although mainly I wanted to test the recipe to see if I could use it to fill cream puffs from a pate choux).I guess I could try adding a little more salt. I was going to give it a night to meld the flavors and then see if I could jazz it up with a spritz of lemon juice or more sugar or something.

there you go, this isn't really sweet enough to go with berries I think. Like I said, it's not super sweet here because of the other ingr. You can add sugar to it, but i wouldn't add too much more acid. good luck!

I don't know if I've ever had a really good Boston Cream Pie. Which probably only means I have never made one from scratch, so all of my test samples have been store-bought, stale, cloyingly sweet specimens with suspect ganache! I'll have to try it now. Oh, and another tip for splitting one cake into two: unflavored dental floss. Wrap around cake, cross ends and pull them in opposite directions. Sometimes I find it easier than dragging a serrated knife through a moist cake. Anyway, thanks for the inspiration!

This post happened to appear days before my father's birthday, so I went ahead and made it for him. It turned out he had been badgering my mom for a boston cream pie for years, so now I'm a hero. Mom never made it because she'd never had it herself. She loved it too. Thanks Chef John!

Chef John,I made this recipe yesterday (and today) for Valentine's day, and though it was super good, however the cream never thickened. I watched the video a hundred times to see what I did wrong, and all I can think was that altitude might have had a factor, I live in Utah. But I let it boil, turned down the burner to low and slowly added the egg mixture... after a good ten minutes of it never thickening and my arm going tired, I added more corn starch, to no avail, then I thought I would let it hang out int he fridge over night (since i started it yesterday) but today it was the same. I put it on the cake anyway, and it tasted good, it just looked bad. Can you tell me what might have gone wrong?

when you pour the egg/cornstarch mixture in it will thicken within 1 minute. No idea why yours didn't. I know if you continue to boil cornstarch it actually loses it thinking power, so that must be it. Did you measure right? Sure its Cornstarch?

hey chef...this luks absolutely yummy...gonna try it out2day...but just wanted 2 ask u, can i use milk chocolate for the ganache instead of the bittersweet 1???coz i don like the taste of dark chocolate

Add butter to the cream and bring to a boil over low heat. Remove from heat and add chocolates. Shake pan to submerge chocolate and allow to stand 5 minutes. Whisk smooth, then cool to room temperature. Ganache will thicken to spreading consistency.

Made this yesterday and it was awesome. BTW I live in Utah too and noticed that it took a little longer to thicken which I chalked up to the altitude but as soon as it bubbled it was done took about 4 minutes instead of 1.

One of my favorite adaptations to a cake mix is chiffinoise-ing: separate the eggs, make the batter with the yolks, and whip the whites to firm peaks. Fold the whites into the batter and bake in a angel-food cake pan.

Hey Chef,I saw this recipe yesterday and knew I had to try it, well went to get the things today and accidentally grabbed regular baking chocolate instead of the dark baking chocolate. Is it going to change the ganache if I use it or will it be okay? Also I was wondering if it would make a difference using light cream instead of heavy cream?

you just have to spread it on before it cools too much. You have to stay there and stir it and when it feels perfect pour it on. You can always very slowly soften over a very low double boiler or on very low in micro.

Chef John, thank you so much for this recipe! I love Boston Cream Pie, but it's slightly hard to find for some reason. Anyway, to my surprise and great relief, everything turned out perfectly, except (ironically enough) the boxed cake mix! It boiled over in the pan and I had to throw it out, hahaha.

Chef John I am in the process of making one a heart shaped one of these right now for Valentine's Day! I think my hubby should love it (he's a huge fan of Boston Cream doughnuts) If the cream doesn't thicken like I have read in others comments, I have the fortunate circumstance of being Canadian and having Bird's Custard Powder readily available to me...it certainly wouldn't be as delicious as your pastry cream (I sneaked a little taste before I put it in to chill...yum!!) but it will be my last resort so Valentine's Day will be guaranteed to be a success :) I cannot wait to taste this all together!

my pastry cream did not thicken either...I even cooked it longer than 1 min. (more like 3) and I too followed the directions to a T. We seriously considered waiting on the cake and having pudding for dessert, but we went ahead and made the cake anyway. It is soooo good....but a soupy mess.

Chef John...how thick should the pastry cream be when we take it off the heat?

I think my heat wasn't high enough (even though I did bring it to a boil) when I added my egg/sugar/cornstarch mix.

You were so right when you said "I know you are scared"!

Well, I guess I will just have to make it again! oh darn ;) But seriously, if anyone doubts their pastry cream is thick enough after cooling for a few hours. I say eat the pastry cream with some fresh berries and make another batch for the cake because that pastry cream is seriously delicious--even in pudding consistency.

Mike, i have no idea! The thickness you saw in the vid was based on the ingr. above. Did it look like mine when it was hot? I'm really not sure, regional would have nothing to do with it. Sounds like you need to cook longer maybe?

I was wondering if the ganache is supposed to be sweet becuase if youre using bitter sweet chocolaten then cream wouldnt it be very unsweet ? And if i let the pastry cream cool overnight would tht be too much

Not to beat a dead horse, but I attempted this recipe determined to offer the 'secret' on the pastry cream. Tragically, mine failed also - twice. I somehow thinks it's in the eggy mixture. I mixed it to light and lemony yellow fluffiness, then turned to the cream concoction. When it was time for the eggy mixture to be combined, I turned to see a separated and less lemony, fluffy mix. Maybe we're not beating the eggs enough?

Although this recipe did taste good, I could not get the filling to set up very well and followed the recipe to a tee. Not sure what I did but I could not get the filling to stay together and it spilled over the edge. Oh well, just bothered me because it never got that firm.

I have made this several times, it's my son's favorite cake. 22 May he graduates from college and following graduation we will celebrate with friends at home. Instead of buying a cake, I am making this, since it's my son's favorite. And, yes, it is soooo easy and delicious!

Hi Chef John!! I love your pastry cream and mine too didn't thicken. I added 1 T. geletine and some extra corn starch and it thickened up a bit but I would like it thicker. Do you have a secret weapon for making it thicker?? Thank you from the bottom of my bowl (heart)!!

A few things I can suggest to those having problems with pastry cream. 1.) Make sure all your ingredients are fresh/in code. 2.)Make sure your egg yolks are room temp. and 3.) Make sure your milk mixture is hot enough before you add the yolk mixture. Cornstarch needs heat to activate. Heat is your friend here so don't be timid! The worst that can happen is that you end up needing to strain it or take the blender to it!

Helppppppp! Chef John I made this for my husband last night boston cream pie. I follow the directions right and my pastry cream didnt thicken in the fridge but it thicken in the pan when i mix it. Do i put whipping cream or heavy whipping cream? Whats the differences? I left the pastry cream overnight and thought it would thicken! Please give me some advice! Thanks again!

Hi chef John!! I tried this today and it turned out amaaaaaaazing!! I followed the instructions and my pastry cream was as thick as in the vid.. :))The cream pie was so easy and delicious.. thank you chef :D

love the recipe and the pastry cream tastes great!! one prob im having is that even though i kept the heat on low and cooked the mixture for about a minute it curdled up a bit and wasn't smooth even when i sieved it ;(....what did i do wrong?

Hi, after reading those cries for help with the pastry cream: I have seen a friend make a sauce thickened with cornstarch,then taste it, and taste it again with the same spoon. After a couple of hours in the fridge the sauce had dissolved into watery soup. The enzymes from saliva will deteriorate the firmness. Sorry, I am Dutch, so my English is not so great.But I think you will get the idea. Otherwise: great food blog! Thanks.

Chef John,I made the recipe and let it sit in the fridge for four hours but it still turned out a little too runny. I made two mistakes, first I forgot to add sugar so I ended up adding it right before I strained the cream while it was still hot. Second, I forgot to add a pinch of salt. Would these mistakes affect the consistency that much? Other than that it tasted great.

The filling came out soooo runny it was like a soup. I had let it sit overnight. When I poured thru the strainer it was like putting a pudding thru. Maybe I cooked to long?? I will throw it out and give it another try.

Chef John,I just found you last Thursday. I made your Boston Cream and it was so good. Some guests were having seconds. I'm a want to be cook and your recipe with video get the credit for my dessert. Thank you for your time and effort. ;-)

So I decided to give this scary recipe a whirl. I as well failed at the creamy filling. one thought, is it a PACKED tbs of cornstarch? when I added and whipped up the eggs, my eggy mixture did not ribbon like yours did, until I added about 1/2 tbs more cornstarch. then while cooking it, it did not get as thick as your, and left to sit overnight, did not thicken up. i SLOWLY reheated (took over 10 min constantly wisking) and added more cornstarch and it finally thickened up. tasted great, but now its too thick and looks yellowish. I will try again, because I feel I am thisclose to getting it right. Thanks!

I have made your valentine's day chocolate mocha pot de cream, and I loved it. I'm going to make the ganache from this boston pie recipe for a chocolate cake and am wondering how come you call for only 1/2 cup of cream? Isn't it supposed to be 1 cup? Also, in your video, it seems like you are using more than 1/2 cup of cream.

No idea if the cream not thickening is an altitude, cornstarch or other issue here in Utah, but after the same issue happening to me TWICE and being absolutely sure I was doing it all correct per the video, I got it to thicken up great by doing the following....and Chef John feel free to i-slap me if this is just a bad idea, but I added a little more cornstarch to the egg mixture, and turned UP the heat when I added the egg mixture till right at the simmer point, then quickly turned it down to low. (stirring the whole time) I did get a few extra lumps in it but they strained out nicely and it all thickened up just like in the vid.

I found your website today when I was searching for onion rings. I'll be trying you baked rings soon and the fried ones, too. I wonder if Australian supermarkets have Panko breadcrumbs. I have looked at a bunch of your recipes and they look good.

This Boston Cream Pie looks very tasty. I'm too lazy to cook 3 separate items for 1 dish. I can get sponge cake layers at my local supermarket and double thick custard. The custard probably won't be as good as yours but it won't fail on me. That leaves the ganache to make. I'll use the milk chocolate version you provided for Sadia. This will do very nicely at Sunday's afternoon tea. I'm sure everybody will love it.

Me, Chef John is away on a well deserved vacation, so I am answering his questions meanwhile. The original recipe was written for 5 tablespoons of sugar and has been revised to 6 tablespoons. So 6 tablespoons it is. Enjoy!

Hello Chef John.This is very serious matter. Tonight I´m gonna try to bake this pure awesomeness for my mother´s birthday tomorrow. Do I have your approval to use golden sparkling topping to create big "heart of gold" on top of that beautiful ganache? Love you channel,thank you for what you´re doing.Jaroslav

Hello Chef john,Sorry to borther you while you are enjoying your vacation. I just cant wait to ask you about this cake. Thank you for this recipe. I just made this delicious Boston cream cake yesterday for my dad's birthday and it was fabulous! Everyone loves it even the waiter of the restaurant we went to begged me for a peice. There is one problem was that I had to make the custard 3 times in the row to get the right one. I followed the recipe exactly as I always did. Unfortunately, the custard didn't thicken at all. I tried twice but didn't work. So for the 3rd time, I added 2 more table spoons of cornstarch into the egg mixture and a little more when I was mixing the egg and the milk mixture together. Then it turned out just perfect. I don't know how you can make it thick very quick with only 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. Is it because of the moisture or the atmosphere of where I live is different from others? I live in Colorado so it's very dry usually. By the way, it was the best custard we have ever had, and the chocolate is perfect too. My family can't wait to have it again and again. This was the first time I failed your recipe :(

It's my 10th time making this awesome cake, but today I made it a bit different. Instead of doing one big cake, I made 12 little ones. They are as small as a muffin and as delicious as always.Thank you for the detailed information of making it.

Yours faithfully.Tamara

Ps.: Sorry if I made grammatical mistakes, english is not my native laguage. :)

Making this cake for my French exchange student's parents who are coming to dinner tomorrow night, straight from France. Thinking of serving a New England boiled dinner first. Seems very blah and basic to me, but I'm trying to give them a taste of "local" cuisine. Any other ideas for a New England main dish? Trying to stay away from the mess factor of lobster.

The first time I made this cake the filling didn't set well. Second time it was fabulous. It's been a while, hopefully I get it right. Will make the filling today so I can redo it tomorrow if need be. Wish me luck, I'm a bit nervous having French dinner guests I have never met who speak very little English!